Rail anchor



Patented June 16, 1931 warren STATES meats? PATENT QFFHCE FREDERICK A. PRESTON, or AK FOREST, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoRTo THE P a M COM- PANY, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS RAIL Anonon I Application filed June 20, 1929. Serial No. 372,338.

My invention relates to rail anchors and has. for its principal object the provision of a one-piece rail anchor having a resilient jaw portion at one end which is yieldable transversely of the rail, but which, when engaged in its operative position. on a rail, is rigid to forces exerted longitudinally of the rail.

A more specific object is to provide an anchor of the above general character having an upstanding resilient loop at one end and adapted to be forced downwardly across one flange of the rail base to its applied position and to provide, at the loop end of the anchor. a depending tie abutting portion having a '3 relatively large tie engaging surface at a substantial distance below the rail, the said tie abutment being so formed as to provide a cam surface for flexing the loop portion during said downward movement thereof and is also so positioned as to be braced and rigidified tance below the bottom surface of the rail,

thereby providing a tie abutment which will provide a firm bearing against curved side surfaces of the cross tie, for example, a 'pole tie, without danger of distorting the tie'ablltting portion.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description of the specific embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings. v

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a rail anchor constructed in accordance with my invention applied to the base portion of a railroad rail in a position to bear against a cross tie.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the anchor shown: in Fig. 1, showing the anchor-in its fully ap plied position.

trating the anchor in a position'which it assumes before it is forced to its fully applied position, and

Fig. 4 is an end View showing the applied 4 position of the anchorto illustrate certain adby the body of the anchor at a substantial dis- Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illusvantages of the construction when the de- .vice is used in connection with a tiehaving otherbase flange of the rail. The hook por-v tion of the anchor provides an inturned jaw 12 which extends over and engages the marginal upper surface of the base flange 13 of the rail. The opening14 between the end of the jaw 12 and the body 10 of the anchor is somewhat larger than the thickness of the base flange 13 of the rail to which the anchor isintended to be applied. This feature of construction, together with other features hereinafter described, permits the hook portion to be hooked over the. edge of the. rail base by hand until the vertical portion 15 of the hook engages the vertical edge 16 of the base flange engaged. Preferably the under rail-portion 10 of the anchor inclines downwardly from the; hook 11 toward. the opposite side of the rail base and is formed with the upstanding resilientloop .17 adapted to be flexed intospring grippingengagement with they edge of thebasegflange 18 .of the rail. Preferablythe loop 17 is'formed by bending the end of the bar inwardly and downwardly across the bar adjacent the edge of the base flange 18. The end 19 of the loop provides a tie abutment which bears against the tie 20 at a substantial distance below the bottom surface of the rail base so as to provide a suitable abutment when the anchor is applied to bear against a curved side faceof a cross tie. for example, as illustrated in Fig. 4: of the drawings. The end portion 21 of the loop is formed with a notch 22, which corresponds in contour to the edge portion of the base flange 18. The lower end of the downturned portion of the loop is formed with an inwardly and upwardly hooked portion 23 to provide a large tie engaging face near the lower end of the tie abutment. With this construction, the hook portion 23 extends the tie bearing face inwardly beneath the rail and provides suflicient bearing surface, when the anchor is installed adjacent a pole tie to prevent the tie abutment from being forced into the tie. The downwardly inclined body portion 10 crosses and preferably contacts with the tie abutting end l9 of the loop at a substantial distance below the bottom surface of the rail and serves to brace the lower portion of the tie abutment, since the upstanding portion 2a of the loop will receive part of the longitudinal or creeping force exerted by the rail. The distance between the downturned portion 21 of the loop and the hook 15 is such that in applying the anchor to a rail it is necessary to flex the loop outwardly from the rail until the notch 22 snaps into engagement with the edge of the rail base. In order to facilitate the ap-' plication of the anchor to a rail, the loop portion 21 below the recess 22 is offset outwardly from the rail so that the distance from the inner end of the jaw 12 and the oifset portion 19a will be greater than the width of the rail base to which the anchor is applied. The olfset portion is formed preferably by bending so that the curvedsurface 25 Will serve as a cam to flex the loop portion outwardly when the said loop is forced downwardly across the edge of the rail base flange.

In applying the anchor to a rail base, the loop end is first hooked over the flange 18 of the rail base until the edge portion of said flange enters the offset portion of the loop. The anchor may be then moved laterally until the jaw 12 clears the edge of the rail, whereupon it may be raised and hooked over the base flange 13 in the position indicated in Fig. 3. From this position, the loop portion of the anchor is driven downwardly across the edge of the rail base 18 until the notch 22 snaps into engagement with the edge of the rail base. The curved portion 25, as before noted, serves as a cam to flex the loop portion during the downwardly driving action. When the anchor is in its fully applied position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the reflex action of the loop 17 exerts a strong resilient force transversely of the rail. Any pressure longitudinally of the rail in a direction to force the tie abutment against the tie 20 serves to exert a forcetending to tilt the loop portion about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the rail and consequently exerts a shacklegripping action on the top and bottom edges of the base flange 18.

I have described my invention in connection with one specific embodiment in which I have taken-advantage of the condition that the under rail portion 10 extends downwardly at an angle to the bottom surface of the rail base to describe the anchor as being particularly adapted to be applied by driving the loop downwardly across the edge of the rail base. It will be understood, however, that the anchor is capable of being applied by pulling upwardly on the loop 17, in which event the curved portion 26 of the loop will serve as a cam to flex the portions 21 and 24 of the loop outwardly relative to the edge of the rail base. It will be seen, therefore, that various structural features of the anchor are not limited, in their utility to an anchor adapted to be driven downwardly across the base flange. I, therefore, wish it understood that 1 do not wish to limit myself to the specific combinations of all of the specific constructions shown except insofar as the claims are expressly limited.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor formed at one end with means for engagement with one flange of a rail base, an upstanding loop at the other end movable downwardly into gripping engage ment with the other base flange of ti e rail, and angul-arly disposed means at the extremity of said loop for hearing against a stationary part ofthe road bed.

2. A rail anchorv formed at one end with means for engagement with one flange of a rail base, an upstanding loop movable downwardly into gripping engagement with the other base flange of the rail, and angularly disposed means at the extremity of said loop and extending beneath the rail base for bearing against-a stationary part of the road bed. 3. A rail anchor forined at one end with means for engagement with one flange of a rail base, and upstanding loop forn'ied with a rail base receiving recess and movable downwardly into engagement with the other base flange of the rail, and a hook portion formed=at theextremity of said loop and extending'beneath: the rail base for bearing against a stationary part of the road bed at a substantial distance below the bottom surface-of the rail base.

LA rail anchor formed at one end with meansfor engagement with one flange of a rail base,an upstanding loop for resiliently engaging the other base flange of the rail, and formed with a rail flange receiving recess adapted to snap over said rail flange, and angularly disposed means at the extremity of said loop for bearing against a stationary part of the road bed at a substantial distance below the bottom surface of the base.

- 5.. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engagement with one flange of a rail base, the body extending across beneath the rail base at an angle to the bottom surface thereof, and an upstanding loop at the other end of the body one leg of which extends inwardly and downwardly across the body to provide a resilient member for engaging one edge of the rail base and exerting pressure transversely of the rail.

6. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engage ment with one flange of a rail base, the body extending across beneath the rail base at an angle to the "bottom surface thereof, and an one leg of which extends inwardly and downwardy across one edge of the rail base and adapted to be flexed into gripping engagement with said rail base by downward movement of said loop across said base.

7. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engagement with one flangeof a rail base, the body extending across beneath the rail base at an angle to the bottom surface thereof, and an upstanding loop at the other end of the body one leg of which extends inwardly and downwardly across oneedge of the rail base, the downwardly extending portion of the loop being formed with a cam surface adapted during the downward movement of the loop to flex the loop into spring gripping engagement with the adjacent edge of the rail base.

8. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engagement with one flange of the rail base, the body extending across beneath the base at an angle to the bottom surface thereof, and an upstanding loop at the other end of the body one leg of which extends inwardly and downwardly across one edge of the rail. base, the downwardly extending portion of the loop being formed with an offset portion providing a cam surface adapted, during clownward movement of the loop, to flex the loop into spring gripping engagement with the adjacent edge of the rail base.

9. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engagement with one flange of a rail base, the body extending across beneath the rail base at an angle to the bottom surface thereof, and an' upstanding loop at the other end of the body one leg of which extends inwardly and clownwardly across one edge of the rail base, thedownwardly extending portion of the loop being formed with a recess and below said recess with an oflset portion providing a cam surface adapted, during downward movement of the loop, to flex the loop to permit said recess to snap into spring gripping engagement with the adjacent edge of the rail base.

upstanding loop at the other end of the body 10. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for engagement with the flange'of a railbase, the body extending across beneath the rail base at an angle to the b-ottomsurface thereof, and an upstanding loop at one end of the body one leg of'which extends inwardly and downwardly across the body to provide a resilient member for engaging one edge of the rail base and provided with an inturned portion at the extremity of said downturned portion" for bearing against avertica-l face of an adjacent cross tie.

11; A one-piece rail anchor adapted to be applied to its operative position by movement of one end thereof downwardly across a base flange of a rail and comprising a bar formed at one end with a hook shaped jaw adapted to be hooked over one edge of the rail base and formed at the other end with. an upstanding loop formed by bending said bar upwardly, inwardly and downwardly across the said body, the downturned portion of said loop being formed with a recess for engagement with the edge of the rail when the anchor is in its applied position, said recess and said first mentioned jaw being so disposed with relation to the body that the said body extends downwardly at an angle to the bottom surface of the rail base and serves as a brace for the downturned end of said loop at a substantial distance from the bottom surface of the rail.

12. A one-piece rail anchor formed atone end with a hook shaped jaw and at the other end with an upstanding loop, the latter of which is provided with a downturned portion which crosses the body of the bar at a substantial distance below the bottom surface of the rail base, the said downturned portion of the loop being provided with a rail base receiving recess and below said recess with an oifset portion providing a cam surface; the distance between said offset portion of the loop and the extremity of the hookshaped j aw being normally greater than the width of the rail base to which the device is intended to be applied, whereby the offset portion of said loop is first hooked over one flange of a'rail base prior to engagement of said hook-shaped jaw with the opposite flange and the said loop portion then forced downwardly across the base flange of the rail tonormal gripping position;

13. A rail anchor comprising a body por- 14. A rail anchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw for en- Eagement with one flange of a rail base, a

0 y portion extending across beneath the rail at an angle to the bottom surface thereof, an upstanding portion at the other end of the body movable downwardly into gripping engagement with the edge of the other base flange of the rail and provided with a portion extending downwardly across the body and formed with anangular portion for hearing against an adjacent cross tie.

FREDERICK A. PRESTON. 

